Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1887-10-12
About 25 People Killed and Half
As Many Injured.
A Heartrending Scene Described
by q Passenger Who Barely
Escapes Death.

lantic railroad, Monday night, near Koutz,
Indiana, in which ii is reported that some If
teen people were killed.
The last freight train ran into the rear end
of passenger train, telescoping two cars.
1t is not yet known in which direction the
passenger train came. At the general office
of the company no information can be OBJ
tanned.
Reports received here are to the effect that
twenty five people have been killed and
large number injured in the wreck on the
Chicago & Atlantic.
1t is inferred that the fated train was
passenger and express from the east, due in
Chicago Tuesday morning. The officials re-
fuse information.
telegram received in Chicago at IL So
said: Ten dead bodies have already been
taken from the wreck, and the men conduct
ing the work were unable to say how many
other corpses were still in the ruins.
In addition to the killed the telegram says
the injured number at least twenty-one per-
sons.
dispatch from Hammond, Ind, says that
so far fourteen bodies have been taken from
the wreck. A doctor from Huntington, Ind,
is the only passenger identified The rest
are burned beyond recognition.
Twenty FIVE or thirty are wounded The
engineer and fireman of the stock train are
not expected to live.
Several passengers on the train arrived
here this afternoon. W. A. Duncan of Sy
racuse, N. Y who saw the wreck estimates
the killed IS or 20, that number being burned
before bis eyes. A little Bohemian boy was
hemmed in the wreck and sa= his father,
mother and two sisters roasted. The boy is
dying. A doctor on the train saw his wife
and daughter cremated and was powerless to
help them. One gentleman from Taunton,
Mass, on his way home, says he was sitting
in the first car asleep with his head on his
satchel. He heard frighful crash and the
whole car seemed shattered to pieces. The
next knew | found myself almost buried in
the ruins which seemed TO keep piling up all
the time. | tried to extrcate myself and
found | was near the window. All around
were wells and groans and the darkness made
it fearful. didn't seem to be hurt beyond
shaken up and called for help at the window
Some men helped me ont and little while
after the whole thing took fire and we were
forced to give up working bit by bit. At one
place there were two or three women all to-
gether and shrieking all the time in manner
to freeze ones blood. The fire was coming
nearer and we worked as long as we could.
We couldn't get them out and the fire came
all around them and finally slenced their
screams. To hear their desperate cries as
the fire came nearer and nearer was simply
appalling. The wreck burned to the trucks
and there was no way to extInguish the fire.
A carload of injured were sent eastward this
afternoon. They were manned, bruised and
burned.
KoUTz, Ind, Oct IL.
The worst horrors of Chatsworth are du-
plicated here TODAY. dozen of blood
stained, smoke. begrimed victims of railroad
cgrelessness or blundering were brought into
the villages little station house early this
morning This afternoon nine charred
corpses, victims of the same laundering or
carlessness, are laid upon the station plat
| form, while three miles west and down the
track of the Chicago, Atlantic railroad, near
the old water tank, are piles of fearfully tan
| ged debris, which mark the spot where a
| collision seldom equalled for terrible results
occurred. According to the best estimate OBJ
| tainable 80 lives were sacrificed outright and
half that number suffered injuries more OF
| less serious.
The east bound express which left Chicago
last night with great load Of passengers had
without moments warning. during tenn
| porary wait been smashed into from behind
! by loaded fast freight plunging madly for
ward in the dark, hurrying dressed meat to
| the markets of the seaboard. Some part OF
the machinery of the passenger engine had
been thrown out of order during the run
from Chicago and trifiing stop was made at
the water tank for repairs. Suddenly out OF
the darkness came the flash of headlight,
the rush and rattle of many wheels and then
mighty crash. The sleeping coach was
pushed mercilessly forward by the freight and
| crushed into the cars forward, smashing the
compar atively light timbers and making the
work of destruction complete. The wreck
quickly took fire. The engineer says:
''We passed No. 49 at Boons Grove on
time and started toward Koutz. No. 40
pulled out of the station in less than two
minutes behind US, when it should have
waited much longer. When we were we'll
away from the town we could see her lights
little ways behind We were not running
very last on account of the breaking of an
eccentric strap, aud were running with but
one pair OF wheels, having been forced to
disconnect the other pair which were running
loose. OF course the accident held the speed
down little, but had no idea that the engi-
neeer of No 40 would have any difficulty in
keeping off our heels. The last time / looked
behind there was ample room between as.
We stopped at the Boon Grove water tank
and were there almost q minute when they
struck u.s."
This afternoon when the reporters, who
! were long delayed, owing to the secretivenesa